CVE-2026-73535 Gitea second-factor bypass through OpenID identity linking
Attackers can bypass two-factor authentication and take over accounts by linking OpenID identifiers if they know the victim's password.
- Exploited in the wild
- Not known
- Login needed
- Any signed-in user
- Attackable
- Over the internet
- Victim action needed
- Not needed
- Fix
- None listed
What is CVE-2026-73535?
CVE-2026-73535 is a high-severity authentication bypass vulnerability in Gitea, published on 14 Oct 2026. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Official description
Gitea's OpenID connect handler accepts a user's password without enforcing enrolled TOTP or WebAuthn verification before completing sign-in and linking an OpenID identifier. When OpenID sign-in is enabled, an attacker who knows the victim's password can obtain a session and link an attacker-controlled identifier. The attacker can then sign in through that identifier without the victim's password or second factor, and a password change does not remove the link.
Which versions are affected by CVE-2026-73535?
How do I fix CVE-2026-73535?
No fix has been published for CVE-2026-73535 yet. Limit exposure of the affected software until one is available.
Upgrade, and rotate credentials and sessions that may have been exposed. More about Authentication bypass.
Is CVE-2026-73535 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2026-73535 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Sources
Also known as GHSA-8xjr-x7rg-hp5h.